A Massive cyber-attack on Air India results in compromising confidential data of more than 4.5 million passengers. The massive cyber-attack on the Air India database has struck data from Aug 2011 to Feb 2021. The national Air Line of India holds a large amount of customer data in its protective severs. However, the attacker still managed to get away with the data of millions of customers. The data contains attributes of the customers including Names, Dates of Birth, Contact Information, and Ticket Information.
SITA Took Containment Measure
The attack targets the Airline’s Geneva-based Passenger System SITA. SITA is a global champion in providing Airport Management and associated IT and telecom services. The data processor of the state-run Airline’s Passenger Service System later secured. The Airline reassured that no breach and illegal attempt observed after securing the servers. SITA is known for its services including the star alliance, namely, Singapore Airlines, United, and Lufthansa. The company later issued a statement in March for taking containment measures.
According to the company sources, they didn’t detect the data breach from the attack. However, on the Match 25th and 5th of April, the data processors reported a breach of private information.
The Airline is reportedly struggling with a staggering $1.2 billion arbitration award. The arbitration tribunal awards the British firm Cairn Energy in December in a legal matter. While grappling with issues, the state-run carrier is facing another challenge after the breach. However, the Airline is informing its customers to extend every support. The massive cyber-attack on Air India hints at the vulnerability due to data protection laws.
The series of cyber-attacks on Indian firms isn’t something new. Although the Air India cyber-attack is a major breach of this year. The data of Airtel users were also floating on the web due to a lack of cybersecurity measures. The role of ICT infrastructure is crucial in defining safety measures to protect the data.
